LPG system

[Cliffdale]

I'm thinking of fitting a Gaslow refill system. Main reason, we are planning a tour, France, Portugal and Spain for around 12 weeks.

Looking at
https://www.filllpg.co.uk/?page=lpg.php

There seems to be a problem in Cornwall to fill up. I'm now thinking it would be better to aquire a Repsol bottle when in France.

Am I right in thinking there is a problem in the UK filling up? Is it the same in Europe? I don't want to spend / waste money on an expensive system that is difficult to use in the UK!

 

[Clarky]

Had refillable gas for 9 years, first an underslung tank then Gaslow.
Never found a problem filling up anywhere in UK, France or Spain.

Richard.

 

[Tykatem]

Surely if you're going away in your motorhome, you'll be looking elsewhere to fill up. How many places do you need in Cornwall?
I've never had a problem finding somewhere to "gas up"

Pete

 

[scotjimland]

I have 2 x 11kg Gaslow R67 bottles, and no problems filling up or finding Autogas in UK or anywhere abroad.. however..

Long term I think there will be fewer Autogas pumps as LPG cars never really taken off and some stations are now removing the Autogas pump which will mean driving further to find it..

To be honest , if you have only short trips abroad in summer, a local bottle is fine and not expensive but you need a different bottle and regulator or each country.. as I understand, Repsol is only in Spain

If I were only touring the UK I'd have stuck with Calor, as it's available in just about every village.. and the Highlands and Islands .. not so Autogas

 

[Cliffdale]

Surely if you're going away in your motorhome, you'll be looking elsewhere to fill up. How many places do you need in Cornwall?
I've never had a problem finding somewhere to "gas up"

Pete

I'm thinking a 40 mile round trip to fill up with gas / 2 gallons of fuel, is it worth it?

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[suavecarve]

suggests 11 stations for lpg in cornwall. Worst case scenario is probaby 25 miles away and you probably had to drive past one to get in and out of cornwall, or a short detour.
A 50 mile round trip would probably cost you 10-12 quid and you ll save that easily on a fill up, but in reality you ll probably never use your local stations unless you are living in your van in cornwall and not moving for about a month in winter

 

[BreweryDave]

Plenty in Cornwall. Download the app myLPG.eu which covers the whole of Europe. Wouldnt be without it.

 

[Tykatem]

I'm thinking a 40 mile round trip to fill up with gas / 2 gallons of fuel, is it worth it?

No, but why would you want to do that? when you can either fill up on route or on the way home from a trip! Just the same as you would if you wanted to refuel with diesel.

Pete

 

[soreeyes]

Do we know why there is a temporary shortage of LPG not just in Cornwall ?

 

[TheBig1]

Long term I think there will be fewer Autogas pumps as LPG cars never really taken off and some stations are now removing the Autogas pump which will mean driving further to find it..

i can see lpg conversions becoming even more common as congestion zones become far more popular in uk cities. its a very important step between petrol/diesel and electric cars. cheaper to get an engine converted to run on lpg than replace the vehicle

i have never had a problem finding lpg to refill

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[Sundowners]

It could work having 1 calor (or some other UK brand) and 1 refillable bottle -----best of both worlds
We have gone 1 step further and have a tank a UK bottle and a local bottle for where we spend most time !!--------- we even have the option of using the BBQ point for an external bottle !!

 

[Pausim]

Do we know why there is a temporary shortage of LPG not just in Cornwall ?

The lpg pump I looked at yesterday had a notice on it saying that their supplier had technical problems and that no date had been given for re-supply. The problem appears to be widespread.

 

[nicholsong]

For Cliffdale(OP)

We have had a single 11kg Gaslow cylinder (with a similar size Calor for back-up) for 7 years and travelled extensively in UK and Europe.

We have only once nearly resorted to the Calor and that was in the Pyrenees where there are no LPG stations up the mountais, but since we were changing valleys, so had to come down to the bottom, it was only a 15km trip to fill LPG, which I chose to do to preserve the Calor.

We have recently bought, but not collected, a second-hand 11kg Gaslow cylinder, but doubt it will get much use but will double our capacity.

Overall my advie would be fit one 11kg (or 2 X 6kg if space is a problem) as the chances of having to go miles to fill are very small. Just load the LPG apps to find stations.

Geoff

 

[Minxy]

We wouldn't be without our refillable system ... so easy to use and rarely have any issues refilling it, or finding places to do so, couldn't contemplate going abroad without it for anything over 2 weeks!

 

[scotjimland]

cheaper to get an engine converted to run on lpg than replace the vehicle

petrol isn't a problem with LEZ , and converting a diesel engine to LPG isn't cheap.. if at all viable

https://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/motorhomes/news/bp-starts-withdrawing-lpg-from-petrol-stations

A spokesperson for BP told MMMthat, "We have decided to remove LPG from some of our stations. As a retailer we have to review the goods and services we provide at our sites on a regular basis to make sure they are competitive and financially cost effective. LPG sales have continued to decline over the long term as manufacturers have stopped supplying LPG cars and the number of LPG cars reduces over time. As such we are taking an approach of removing LPG on a site-by-site basis from our company-operated sites when it would no longer be financially viable to continue.

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[Basildog]

We found lpg a total nightmare when we had the Winnebago converted , always having to divert to find lpg , even when we were full timing in it the distance we had to travel to refill just the habitation gas in winter was a complete pain .
When we had the ice cream van (Swift) we could go through a 13 kg Propane in 3 days but didn't bother with refillable as a 30 mile round trip is not cost effective.
We will be putting refillable on the new van but will carry a 19 kg Propane as a back up , having looked at the lpg map for Spain it looks ok if you stay near big towns and tourist areas but venture far and you will struggle.
I don't think people really realise that there is no cost benefit in Spain as lpg bottles over there aren't a leisure product and are very reasonably priced and readily available as they are delivered to everyone's homes at least weekly.

 

[Viennese]

Do we know why there is a temporary shortage of LPG not just in Cornwall ?

I filled up today - round Oxford only about half the stations have it - a shortage in the south and south east. The Shell station at Pear Tree told me that one of the refinery/production places had problems, and a lot of LPG was shipped north during the cold weather to satisfy domestic needs. The https://www.filllpg.co.uk/ web site seems to be accurate saying where you can find it. A useful resource.

 

[gus-lopez]

W
I don't think people really realise that there is no cost benefit in Spain as lpg bottles over there aren't a leisure product and are very reasonably priced and readily available as they are delivered to everyone's homes at least weekly.

It is only the steel repsol & cepsa that are under the government price scheme all others , including the cepsa stainless steel that used to be controlled ,are now classed as non-controlled pricing & are usually 4€ dearer.
The reason there isn't much difference with bulk lpg to the controlled price cylinders is that bulk price isn't controlled T therefore they can charge what they want.
They are only 'reasonably priced ' in relation to what the robbing b'stards charge in the Uk.

 

[Terry and Jan]

Gas at Saltash services and Trulefoot roundabout